A. Something is wrong with those weight numbers.

B. Those are ridiculous charges.

C. Find the same thing locally...I find it hard to believe that something equivalent, especially in a subway tile, can't be found closer than 2500 miles from your house.

If you are dead set on only this tile, have you actually talked with Encore Ceramics directly and asked them about those weights and charges? I recently placed a special order for 20 sqft of tile with Home Depot and shipping was free, so I know that tile can be shipped a lot cheaper than you are being quoted.

I would find another tile.

Freight prices generally run $55-$75. I paid freight to ship a HUGE 36"x 36" Viking range hood.

Have you googled the tile to see if there are internet sellers that are closer to you?

Oregon to FL is about 3,000 miles (driving), also the pallet takes up square footage, no matter what the weight. It may go through several trucking companies.

I have been in contact with Encore and they said they would get back to me.

The retailer that gave me the $650 is in Atlanta. The local retailer in Tampa had awful customer service but I did ask them to quote me after these crazy freight charges and they told me $320 (but higher price per square foot). How is the same product going to the same place from same vendor prices differently for freight. Same origin and end points.

I really do like this tile... But I don't know if I can stomach $20 per foot in shipping!! And there are no online retailers. You have to buy from a store.

I would figure out a way to love another tile.

I ordered my tile as I chose it in several lots, which isn't the most efficient, but it worked for me. Sometimes the tile store I used charged shipping, sometimes they didn't. Here's what I paid for shipping.

139 sf of kind of fancy subway tile (pinched edges), $60

362 sf of fake marble looking porcelain (to CA from East Coast), 50 pieces of surface bullnose, and 35 sheets of stone mosaic, $99

709 sf of various types of tile, mostly subway in dift formats, plus trim pieces, $99

No shipping on any quartz slabs and a couple of small orders.

My tile guy looked over my invoices and said the charges were fair, which was good to hear since I'd already paid them. The costs clearly don't reflect actual shipping charges, not based on weight and distance. They're just an extra charge, like internet fees at some hotels.

Are there other stores you might use?

Understand Erica, these folks are not interested in going to all the trouble for your small order. They will have to contact an LTL - less than a load shipper - and get a price for your order. Doesn't sound like much - but it can be an hour worth of time as they go back and forth with the shipper or an agent. And as you have pointed out you don't like shipping charges of the first retailer - so already you've wasted someones time. You don't know what price you want for shipping - how can they win?

They are retailers - cause you go to their local store. They are not in business to ship tile long distance.

Find another tile.

I understand Geoffrey, but the only way to even get Encore tile is to go through a retailer and have it shipped. No retailer carries stock. I can not order directly from Encore. I can not place an order online. My order before shipping is $1300 for ~31 square feet, so this isn't cheap tile. I guess I don't understand why if this is the only way to order does Encore not have shipping set up? Why would each retailer have to do it themselves and the costs vary so much?

From experience: my family owned a wholesaler business. Here's the scoop:

Encore doesn't want to bother with retail sales. Retail people complain, have poor credit, aren't there for deliveries, etc, etc.

Distributors have an established line of credit with Encore, they have a dock to accept deliveries during business hours. They will deal with retail customer complaints, credit cards, etc.

It's my guess the tile is expensive enough, and many different designs, the retailers don't want to stock it - it's too special.

I think what you consider a distributor is what I'm considering a retailer. If you go to Encore's website, there are only certain places you can order the tile from. None of those places (what I call a retailer) stock the tile. They only carry samples.

If this is the only way to purchase tile - why doesn't Encore have set shipping methods? Why wouldn't the retailer/distributor order the tile from Encore and Encore sets the shipping price? Why would it be different depending on who you order from?!

Sorry but I'm just confused here!

I think you have to look at the bigger picture when you find the right product. Distribution charges are going to show up somewhere. When I found my tile at a local tile store, I was determined to get a better price. So I went online and found it from several other sites. All charged high shipping costs. LowCost+Shipping=Similar Price from Tile Store. The bottom line was that my local store gave me a better deal. They handled all the ordering and receiving as well as giving me 100% guarantee for overage or damage. In the end they were the best deal. I did not have to pay for returns or broken tile or the hassle to package and return ship. I consider myself lucky to have a locally owned store with fair pricing and great service.

Erica: " why doesn't Encore have set shipping methods? Why wouldn't the retailer/distributor order the tile from Encore and Encore sets the shipping price?"

Why do you keep asking? It's their business. They are running it the way they want. Get over it. Move on.

Wow. That was quite the snarky remark Geoffrey. I was asking those questions because you said you had a family owned wholesaler business and thought you may have insight.

I live in Oregon and can't even get Encore! Their nearest distributor is in Seattle. It's beautiful tile and I want one of their mosaics. For the price of your order, you might see if there's a small custom tile company in Florida who can make you something similar.

Erica: I already told you in a previous post: "Encore doesn't want to bother with retail sales. Retail people complain, have poor credit, aren't there for deliveries, etc, etc."

My tile (about 25 square feet) was from Fireclay, $40/sf, plus a $100 setup charge, free shipping, so about $1000 altogether). Had they told me it was $20 for the tile and $20 for shipping, I also would have balked at the price. Same goes for cheap things on Amazon - $3.99 plus $1.99 shipping, or $6.50 with free shipping (the latter is more in total, but it seems better somehow). My point is only that a lot of this is perception - as someone said above, the freight has to be paid somehow, by someone. (although I do agree that if you're getting wildly different shipping rates, something is askew)

Sorry any way you slice it, that is a very high shipping charge. I shipped 5 heated glass boards that I do my artwork on from FL to CA by Fedex. Each box weighed 50 lbs and shipping for each was $65 which included insurance. So 5 boxes would have cost me $325 and each box was 24" x 15" x 20". Seems to me the dealer is trying to add a profit on the shipping.

Freight charges vary greatly. I use to move freight for a living, so believe me when I say freight charges vary. Your freight quote does seem high but there's a lot of unknown factors. I didn't read all the comments so forgive me if I ask something that was already addressed. First, you could ask for the weight and dimensions and get your own freight quote to compare. UPS and FedEx ship LTL (less than truckload - which is what you have). Keep in mind, arranging freight yourself is probably a total hassle and pain. And if you're not already set up with a freight carrier then you'll be paying top $$ (usually there are no deals for first timers when it comes to shipping)...

Also ask if the freight quotes they provided include insurance. If they do, then that could jack the rate up. Keep in mind the seller may be jacking the price up simply to make more money. For example - actual cost may be $300 and he wants to make more $$$. Happens all the time... Deliveries to residential areas cost more 99% of the time. There are also estimated deliveries and guaranteed rates - of course the faster the transit - the higher the cost. If there is a guaranteed delivery date then expect to pay more.

I would write something like this to the supplier-

Hi Mr. Dealer,

I'm really looking forward to purchasing from you but I can't get over the freight charge. Is this next day air or something? Another company quoted me $320 to ship the same product. I would much prefer to buy from you but the freight costs are holding me back. Do you have any other freight carriers you work with that can provide another quote? I'm not in a huge hurry, so "best way" (aka cheapest) is fine. I appreciate the help.